Think about the way you shop for a new car. If you are a systematic shopper, you do your research in the consumer guides and the various sites on the Web. You know the specifications and the prices, and the equipment and have it narrowed down to two or three models. How do you make the final choice? If you’re like most people, you want to drive the car, see how it feels on the road, how it handles, how the seats feel, how easy it is to reach the steering wheel, and so forth.

Steps

1

Interview people about their chosen work. By doing this, you will discover things that cannot be found in even the best reference books. Studs Terkel used interviews as the basis for his book Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do. You might want to review this book to get some insight into the value of this information-gathering technique.

2

Find someone to interview. One of the best ways to find someone to interview is to ask your mentor, friends, family, teachers, and counselors if they know people working in the fields you want to explore. If they do, they can provide an introduction. If this doesn't work, the Yellow Pages in the telephone book provide a place to start. If you have to call some people "cold" after using this source, simply explain that you are doing some career exploration and would appreciate about 20 to 30 minutes of their time to ask them some things about the kind of work they do. If you are a student, a letter of introduction from your professor would be helpful.

Most people enjoy talking about their work and would be happy to spend a few minutes helping you decide on an occupation; if this is not the case, thank them anyway and try the next person on your list.

3

Follow some interview guidelines. Once you have located someone willing to talk to you about his or her work, set up an interview and explore the issues that interest you, beginning with the questions on the Interview Form. A few guidelines are suggested below for your consideration:

Provide the person you are interviewing with a copy of the questions in advance of the interview. You are more likely to get quality information if he or she is allowed time to reflect on your concerns.

Interview the person in the setting and at a time he or she prefers, if possible in his or her work setting. If you are able to come to a work setting, use this opportunity to get a sense of the working environment and working conditions (see Workplace Observation below).

Use the Worker Interview Form (in the Appendix) to guide your interview, adding other questions to reflect your individual concerns and to follow up on comments made within the interview itself.

Try to record the responses to your questions on the form as you go along. Take "shorthand" notes; you can fill in the blanks later. Don't let this distract you from listening with your full attention. Tape recording may be an option if the person your are interviewing does not object and if this formality does not constrain his or her answers.

Feel free to ask for clarification of responses, but do not push for answers if the person seems hesitant or resistant.

Listening is the most important skill to use in this situation.

When you are finished, thank the person for the kindness he or she has extended to you. A thank-you note might be another manner of expressing your appreciation.

4

Do workplace observation. When you have completed your research using eChoices, as well as your Worker Interviews, the next step of your reality-testing will be one or more workplace observations. The purpose of this exercise is to put yourself in an actual working environment and to observe what goes on there.

5

Make the arrangements. If one of the people you used for a worker interview seemed helpful, he or she might be able to arrange for a workplace observation. Friends, family, and professors in your potential major area of study may be helpful as well. Guidelines:

Remember, you are guest when you conduct such an observation. Please observe the following guidelines.

Try to stay out of the way. You sponsor will engage you in those activities that are appropriate.

Be quiet. The purpose is to observe!

Take notes of what you observe, for later reference.

Do not show initiative. This is a time to follow, not to lead.

Clearly establish the time period of your observation.

If you are not sure what to do in a situation, ask your sponsor.

Do not engage anyone other than your sponsor in the workplace, unless otherwise directed by your sponsor.

Ask for additional guidelines from your sponsor before the observation, including appropriate attire, rules of conduct, etc.

After the experience, send a letter or card to your sponsor, expressing your appreciation for their time and effort.

6

Get an internship. Volunteer work is another way to get some real-life exposure to different occupations. Many city governments have offices that coordinate volunteer activities—check your local telephone directory. Internships are a more formalized way to do the same thing. Such an experience usually involves working for an organization in an area of interest and may even include some payment and/or college credit.

7

Find other ways to test the career reality. Any way you can think of to test your goals against reality is an opportunity to verify and strengthen your chances of success. A few other examples are provided below.

Take related course work. If you want to work in a field that requires math and science, your experience in related courses can provide valuable data for your consideration. One of the advantages of the college experience is that it serves as a reality test. If you think you want to be a brain surgeon but faint dead away when you dissect an earthworm in Biology 101, you may want to reconsider. By the same token, if you find that you do much better than expected in a course, you may want to consider occupational fields that you had previously overlooked. Do not place too much emphasis on your performance in any given course. Look for subject-related trends and patterns that may mean something in terms of your occupational options.

Read a related textbook. If you think you might want to be a psychologist, go to the library or bookstore and browse through textbooks in the field of psychology. Does the content interest you? Does it seem to be an area that you want to study in depth?

Watch television documentaries. There are many documentaries related to specific occupations. Although the picture presented is often incomplete, it can provide some interesting and dramatic insight into the work. Public television documentaries are usually more objective and complete in presentation.